How long have you worked as manager at Metzger?
“Since the week that it opened to the public, just over 10 years now.”
What do you like most about your job?
“Sharing it with people. Being able to give guided tours through the collection and help bring history to life for people.”
Will you stay on when Metzger reopens?
It’ll be more in a volunteer capacity, rather than as part of my official loading at Columbia Bible College. But yes, that is the plan, that I will continue to manage it and to support other volunteers to help run [it].
What factors led to downsizing the museum?
“In terms of the spatial considerations, one of the big reasons was our main teaching center building on Columbia Bible College campus is not wheelchair accessible, and it’s the oldest building on campus as well…to put in an elevator would kickstart all the code for the building. It would need significant renovations across the building to do that, and they’re rather looking for other classroom spaces on campus that can be wheelchair accessible.
“… The other consideration and factor in the midst of everything is also financial. Things are turning around a little bit, but over the past seven years, Columbia has had a movement of steady decline in enrollment numbers. This past year is the first in eight years of that trend shifting, [where] we have more students this year than we did last year.
“… Sometimes [things] need to get cut for budgetary reasons, and the Metzger Collection was one of those things that they were looking to discontinue the budget for anyway.”
How will the museum be different once it reopens?
“The original plan was to clear the entire basement level where the Metzger Collection is, and create multiple classroom spaces out of that [area]. The revised plan through different people giving feedback and suggestions has been to reduce [and] still occupy some of the basement level where we are currently, but, with a smaller footprint of somewhere between a third and a half of the current footprint.
“… When I think about the museum space display, the areas that really shine as far as not only the artifacts, but the way [they] are displayed and a bit of the decor were the ancient Greece and Roman sections. I figured to dismantle all that, there’s no coming back from that.
“… In a lot of ways, the heart of the Metzger Collection is the biblical history within the context of ancient civilizations …tracing through Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel, Greece, and Rome.”
What would you like to see for the future of Metzger?
“I have this sense that this is a temporary solution for the time being, and a compromise to see the Metzger Collection continue while the needs of the college [are] being met. I hope for a time when the collection could expand once again to at least what it is now, potentially even more … There’s even [a] possibility that [it] could be elsewhere in the Lower Mainland … where it is able to expand more.”
How will having a smaller space be challenging?
“Previously, with the large exhibit space that we had, we were able to swap out feature exhibits, and there was always something changing about the Metzger collection, year upon year. And that may not be the case, going forward, [and] it might be more of a static collection.”
Are there other changes you can share?
“There’s a lot of unknowns with what it will look like for us to be reopened in September. And I would say as well that at this point, the plan to reopen in September is not an indefinite plan, that it’s a trial period for one year to see whether this is working, both for the collection and for the college. Right now, we’re taking it a year at a time.”
Will it still be free to the public once it reopens?
“That’s one of the uncertainties, but I’m expecting that it would be [free].”
Interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Rachel is working towards a BA with a concentration in English and Theatre. She has been employed at The Cascade since Fall 2021 as a Staff Writer and a Jr. News Editor. Currently, she is the sectional News Editor and enjoys meeting and interviewing people as well as taking long walks in nature. Rachel also likes to stay up to date on the latest trends and informs students through her fashion column entitled Campus Fashion.